MANILA: Passenger volume at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for the first three weeks of December increased by almost 15 percent year-on-year.

Data from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Friday showed there were 2,773,711 passengers as of Dec. 21, up 14.53 percent from the 2,421,808 passengers for the same period last year.

From the 130,628 passengers logged on Dec. 1, the number has reached 141,164 on Dec. 21, breaching the management’s estimate of 140,000 daily passengers during the holiday season.

On Friday, aviation officials, along with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, made the rounds at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City to check the airport’s readiness amid the holiday rush.

Bautista told reporters that daily passengers could reach 145,000 daily.

“This (estimate surge) is higher than the pre-pandemic levels,” he said, noting that daily passenger volume at the NAIA was only 130,000 in 2019.

Earlier, MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co said the domestic passenger
volume has been exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

“Domestic passengers have reached around 110 percent of the pre-pandemic levels, while international passengers is at around 95 percent of the 2019 level,” he said.

Co advised passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before an international flight, and two hours before a domestic flight, and to also consider the traffic condition.

He urged travelers to make use of online processes, such as when paying taxes and when checking in, to minimize the need for queuing.
Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: The number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan in the first 11 months of 2023 reached a new record 536,800, surpassing the previous record of 495,051 visitors achieved in 2019, according to statistics of the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio said he is happy about the figure, released by the JNTO Vienam office on December 20. He noted that 2023 is a special year, when Vietnam and Japan mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

He went on to say that the bilateral relationship is at the highest level in all fields, including politics, economy, and culture. At the meeting between Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in last November, the two sides agreed to elevate their relationship to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world’.

He expressed his hope that the opportunity will start the growth of exchanges and travel between the two countri
es and further deepen the relationship between Japan and Vietnam.

Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) Ha Van Sieu said that Japan is one of the top foreign destinations of Vietnamese holiday-makers while Vietnam is also popular among Japanese tourists. In the first 11 months of 2023, Vietnam welcomed nearly 530,000 Japanese visitors.

Yoshida Kenji, head of JNTO representative office in Vietnam revealed that in 2024, the office will carry out measures to increase the number of Japanese visitors to Vietnam. The office will also work with organisations and individuals in the industry to implement the Japanese Government’s three new tourism strategies, including ‘sustainable tourism development’, ‘increase in tourism consumption’ and ‘ regional attraction’ in order to promote tourist exchange between the two countries./.
Source:Vietnam News Agency

ANKARA: The European Court of Justice (CJEU) on Thursday ruled that the FIFA and UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to the EU law.

‘The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions are unlawful,” a statement from the court said.

“There is no framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.’

The court also said, “Similarly, the rules giving FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the rights related to those competitions are such as to restrict competition, given their importance for the media, consumers and television viewers in the European Union.’

According to the court, a competition such as the Super League project “must not necessarily be approved” and the rules of FIFA and UEFA on approval,
control and sanctions “must be held to be unjustified restrictions on the freedom to provide services.”

The European Super League was a proposed competition project held among 12 European football clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Juventus, Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid) in 2021.

The International Association of Football Federation (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) objected to the project, threatening to impose sanctions on clubs and players who might decide to participate.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday set the pre-bid conference for the second round of public bidding for the PHP18.8 billion automated election project on Friday.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the event will start at 9 a.m. at the Palacio del Gobernador Building in Intramuros, Manila.

“All interested bidders and entities may ask questions on any aspect of the bidding, even those that have yet to purchase the bid documents,” he said in a statement.

Earlier, the Comelec – Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) had declared a failure in the initial public bidding for the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) project.

The Committee posted the Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the 2nd public bidding for the 2025 automated election system.

The Comelec said bidding documents are now available to interested prospective service providers from Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the SBAC Secretariat Office located at the Far East Managers and Investo
rs Incorporated (FEMII) Building in Intramuros, Manila.

The deadline for submission of bids at the SBAC Secretariat Office is at 9 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2024.

The opening of bids will take place on the said date at 10:30 a.m. at the Palacio del Gobernador Building.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Baguio City grabbed the lead in the Batang Pinoy National Championships on Thursday after improving its medal output to 17 golds, 16 silvers and 28 bronzes to boost its title-retention campaign.

Cebu City, which was ahead in the medal tally board last Wednesday, also garnered 17 gold medals but slid to No. 2 with 14 silvers and 19 bronzes.

Davao City ranked third in the medal tally board with 16 golds, 14 silvers and 12 bronzes followed by Pasig City (15-17-23), Mandaluyong City (14-7-11), Zamboanga City (14-6-4), Quezon City (13-14-17), Leyte (10-3-4) and Rizal (8-4-13).

‘We are confident and hopeful that we will again emerge as overall champion. It’s always good to think positive,’ Baguio City sports development head Gudz Jimenez said.

Last year, Baguio City secured 31 golds, 30 silvers and 39 bronzes in Vigan, Ilocos Sur to win its third title in the tournament for athletes 17 years old and below.

Pasig City was second with 22 golds, 12 silvers and 14 bronzes, while Quezon City placed third wi
th 21 golds, 10 silvers and 15 bronzes.

The Philippine Sports Commission will award PHP5 million to the overall champion of the Batang Pinoy, the country’s grassroots development program initiated by then commissioner Monico Puentevella, who is currently president of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas.
Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The provincial government targets to harvest some 15,000 metric tons of salt from its 473.8-hectare Pangasinan Salt Center farm in Barangay Zaragoza here.

In an interview on Thursday, assistant provincial agriculturist Nestor Batalla said in the first cycle of salt production from November to December this year, they target to harvest some 8,000 to 10,000 metric tons with an estimated sales value of PHP40 million to PHP50 million.

The first cycle was supposed to start in October but it was delayed due to rainy weather.

“The harvest is equivalent to one kilogram of salt per square meter per day and we have 10 hectares (of) salt farm with salt selling at PHP5 to PHP6 per kilo at present,” he said, referring to the rock salt locally known as “barara”.

Batalla said for the second cycle from February to May 2024, if the weather permits with good sunlight and no typhoons, they target some 15,000 to 20,000 metric tons of salt harvest with an estimated value of PHP75 million to PHP100,000 million.

He sai
d salt production only lasts five to six months every year but they plan to turn the salt beds into fishponds to raise high-value marine fish species during the rainy months.

Vice Governor Mark Lambino, in his speech during the ceremonial harvest on Thursday, said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members will also pass an ordinance to include in the revenue code the commercialization of the province’s salt produce.

“This will definitely generate income and livelihood, and most especially, the province is cementing its legacy as salt producer in the country,” he said.

Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III said the provincial government is hoping for positive results, noting the management of the salt farm was sort of an experiment.

The province has been in an interim management strategy for the improvement and development of the salt farm through a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in December last year to increase production.

The project is a response to the call
of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to resolve the salt crisis in the country.

Batalla said that despite the Philippines being an archipelago, 93 percent of the country’s salt requirement was being imported from China and Australia amidst being an archipelago.

Meanwhile, Guico said the turnover of the salt farm’s management from a private entity to the provincial government has primarily benefited the 70 salt farmers who continue to work there.

Primo Rubang, one of the salt farmers, said they lost their source of income when the salt farm was closed three years ago.

“Pero ngayon maganda na. May sahod kami araw-araw at tuloy tuloy ang trabaho (But now it is better. We have income daily and our work continuous),” he added.
Source: Philippines News Agency